Microsoft wins US court case to buy Activision Blizzard in loss for FTC.

[John Elden Ring]

Breaking: Microsoft wins US court case to buy Activision Blizzard in loss for FTC. Story incoming.

Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard

Microsoft can now go ahead and close its giant deal.

www.theverge.com

A California judge is allowing Microsoft to close its acquisition of Activision Blizzard after five days of grueling testimony. Microsoft still faces an ongoing antitrust case by the Federal Trade Commission, but Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley has listened to arguments from both the FTC and Microsoft and decided to deny the regulator’s request for a preliminary injunction.
This allows Microsoft to close its Activision Blizzard deal ahead of the July 18th deadline, but only if the company is willing to close around the UK or if the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is willing to negotiate some form of remedy. The UK regulator moved to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition in April, and Microsoft is currently appealing that decision with a hearing set to start on July 28th.

MLex reported last month that Microsoft was exploring options to close the deal despite the UK block, which, in part, spooked the FTC enough to request an injunction in the first place. The CMA also filed to try and delay Microsoft’s appeal of its Activision Blizzard acquisition decision, with a request right in the middle of the FTC v. Microsoft hearing. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) shut that request down, as it would have pushed the appeal process from July to October — “contrary to justice and fairness.”

European regulators gave the deal the go-ahead in May, so Microsoft could now technically close without the UK and without an injunction in the US preventing it. That’s a complicated scenario though, so we’ll likely see Microsoft and Activision Blizzard temporarily extend their merger agreement to cover the CMA appeal process instead.
The FTC will now have the chance to appeal Judge Corley’s decision, but the regulator didn’t appeal a court’s decision permitting Meta to acquire Within, so it may abandon its case against Microsoft and Activision Blizzard instead.

 

[On Demand]

Sill not over. CMA.

 

[MScarpa]

Can't wait for this to be done with. Well maybe all these Games will now show up on Gamepass. Atleast in the U.S.

 

[Darth Vader]

Can't wait for this to be done with. Well maybe all these Games will now show up on Gamepass. Atleast in the U.S.

If you think the deal will close without the CMA... Well, hope is the last to die.

 

[Danja]

Expected this outcome. That judge was a conflict of interest from the start. But the judge was never gonna rule against the company her son works for... Bribes and possibly threats?

 

[Johnic]

Oh no, the corrupt judge did what? Surprise.

 

[ksdixon]

I thought they won against the PI to stop fast merger, and there was still an FTC trial coming up?

In addition to CAT review, CMA appeal/re-review?

 

[Johnic]

I thought they won against the PI to stop fast merger, and there was still an FTC trial coming up?

In addition to CAT review, CMA appeal/re-review?

Correct. This is just a PR spin but the MS shill media.

BUT, there's a VERY good chance MS wins that court case regardless.

 

[ksdixon]

Correct. This is just a PR spin but the MS shill media.

BUT, there's a VERY good chance MS wins that court case regardless.

But then MS aren't going to surrender trading in UK. Farming UK MS/XB/ACTI relations/distribution out to a 3rd party is a shallow move and likely does little to address the concerns the CMA has towards MS and their reach?

 

[ethomaz]

It was predictable after saw how the judge conducted and how amateurs the FTC lawers acted.
I said in the other thread several days ago.

 

[Darth Vader]

It was predictable after saw how the judge conducted and how amateurs the FTC lawers acted.
I said in the other thread several days ago.

Dude, they could have had the best lawyers in the world (or Saul Goodman), and they would have lost.

 

[flaccidsnake]

It's indicative of a major failure that the judge spends so much time talking about deals to keep CoD on Playstation. Microsoft buying Activision is a huge and obvious consolidation of game publishing. The exclusivity war with Playstation, tho big, is less of an antitrust concern than the largest publisher joining Xbox relative to EA, Ubisoft, etc. And this is after MS easily acquired Zenimax, another massive publisher. There aren't that many huge 3rd party publishers left.

It also immediately boosts the arms race for Playstation to buy a publisher now. Are Xbots going to be happy if CoD goes exclusive to Xbox, but GTA goes PS exclusive? IMO that would be an obvious response from Sony assuming they can afford it. It's almost critical that they do it even if they can't afford it.

 

[Puff]

 

[Darth Vader]

I don't even know what that means

 

[Johnic]

They way that's written is a bit confusing. Who's asking for a pause?

 

[Puff]

 

[nongkris]

Welp it looks like the CMA has been effectively bribed? Stopping all appeals to rework the deal again

 

[Johnic]

@Swift_Star

There you have it. CMA buckled.

 

[riesgoyfortuna]

ms will got this,money always win

 

[Zzero]

Hmmmmmm? I thought Microsoft and Activision were precluded from transactions for 10 years? (little familiarity with British law here, sorry)

Anyways, glad to see that these cases might finally be ending and that justice has prevailed.